Literature Review

Debates begin in the Assembly on the “end of life” bill; Catherine Vautrin calls for a “spirit of humanity, listening and respect”Times.News - France; The Minister of Labor, Catherine Vautrin, and the president of the special commission, Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, on April 22 at the Assembly; 4/22/24At the opening of the work of the special committee of the National Assembly, ... on the “end of life” bill, the Minister of Health, Catherine Vautrin, called on the deputies to have a parliamentary debate which takes place in “a spirit of humanity, listening and respect.” ... At the heart of the questions is the fact of offering certain patients the means of committing suicide ... This “assisted dying” will be reserved for adult patients, born in France or residing in the country for a long time, and able to clearly express their wishes. ... “I have heard fears to which I hope we can respond point by point, a strong demand for clarity and precision, an expectation of vigilance with regard to the sensitivity of the subject”, assured Ms. Vautrin. ... Hoping for a debate full of “humility, seriousness and respect for all convictions” ... [From MP Carline Fiat,] “We can disagree but we have to be careful with the words we say,” she told the deputies present in this committee.

Health systems creating new IT C-suite roles Becker's Hospital Review, by Naomi Diaz; 4/19/24 In response to evolving demands within the healthcare landscape, hospitals and health systems are reconfiguring their C-suites and leadership teams to align with organizational priorities. Among the recent developments, several institutions have introduced new roles to their executive teams. [Click on the title's link for examples.]

WHO unveils 10 patient safety rights

Executive compensation at HCA, CHS, Tenet and UHS: 7 things to know Becker's Hospital Review, by Alan Condon; 4/16/24 Most of the top-earning executives, including CEOs and CFOs, at four of the largest for-profit health systems in the U.S. saw their overall compensation increase in 2023, according to proxy statements recently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Seven things to know about executive compensation at HCA Healthcare (Nashville, Tenn.), Community Health Systems (Franklin, Tenn.), Tenet Healthcare (Dallas) and Universal Health Services (King of Prussia, Pa.): ... [Click on the title's article for salary figures.]

FBI, DEA search Angel Bright Home Health offices Monday, along with state Medicare fraud unit 3NEWS, Corpus Christi, TX, by Ana Tamez and Lexis Greene; 4/22/24 The FBI searched the Angel Bright Home Health Inc. offices Monday morning. FBI Public Affairs Officer Connor Hagan confirmed FBI-Houston agents were partnering with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) on an operation on Holly Road. ... 3NEWS found about a dozen agents at the home-health and hospice agency's office throughout the day Monday. At about 1:15 p.m., they began carting out boxes filled with documents and loading them into an unmarked box truck.

What the ‘fundamentally contradicting’ Medicaid Access Rule includes Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 4/22/24 The White House teased the finalized Medicaid Access Rule early Monday, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) later revealed more intricate details attached to the rule. [The] timeline of the rule is now clear. Specifically: ... [Click on the title's link for more]

Viral moment: Hospice worker reunites with former mentor for touching bedside serenade FaithIt, by Kelsey Straeter; 4/23/24In Austinburg, Ohio, at the Austinburg Nursing & Rehab Center, a video capturing a deeply moving moment has gone viral, striking a chord with over half a million viewers. The footage shows hospice worker Joshua Woodard singing a heartfelt rendition of “How Great Thou Art” to his former mentor, Mary Redmond, just days before her peaceful passing. ... Decades ago, Mary Redmond was not only a cherished voice and piano teacher in her community but also a vibrant member of the local arts scene, starring in productions such as “Hello, Dolly!” and “The Music Man.” ... One of those lives was a young Joshua Woodard ... She became his first voice coach, leaving a lasting impression that endured through the years.

20M fewer Medicaid enrollees means trouble for providersModern Healthcare, by Nona Tepper; 4/23/24Over the past year, states have removed more than 20 million beneficiaries from Medicaid after suspending eligibility redeterminations during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Thousands of those people are Clinica Family Health patients. The Lafayette, Colorado-based community health center felt the pain of lost reimbursements when patients went from having Medicaid coverage to being uninsured, a fate that has befallen almost one-fourth of these former Medicaid enrollees nationwide, according to KFF. Clinica Family Health responded with cutbacks but is still in the hole. 

Community partnership with Hinds Hospice brings supportYourCentralValley.com - MedWatch Today; by Juanita Adame; 4/22/24Facing difficult end-of-life decisions for loved ones is difficult. Community Regional Medical Centers has partnered with Hinds Hospice to bring in an extra layer of support to patients and their families inside the hospital. The services are for patients who cannot be cared for at the home during their end-of-life journey. “We started looking at institutions that could partner with us around delivering inpatient hospice care, not only to reduce our length of stay but to be able to provide a higher level of care for patients in hospice,” said Tina Gulbronsen, VP of Capacity Management at Community Medical Centers. “So this change means that there are some patients that can’t be discharged safely  because they are in some sort of crisis.”

Marijuana Legalization Review: A guide for employers in a complex legal landscapeForbes, by Alonzo Martinez; 4/19/24As marijuana legalization sweeps across the United States, employers face a complex legal landscape regarding its use among employees. What was once a clear-cut issue of termination for positive drug tests has evolved into a complex assessment, with federal, state, and local laws offering conflicting guidance on how to navigate marijuana use in the workplace.

Lawmakers mull bills to ensure hospice, home health worker safety Hospice News, by Holly Vossel; 4/19/24 Lawmakers in Connecticut and Vermont have recently introduced legislation aimed at protecting hospice and home health workers. Some stakeholders worry that the laws may impact care continuity among vulnerable homebound terminally ill populations lacking end-of-life support.

Home care industry slams finalized 80-20 Rule, warns agency closures are coming Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 4/22/24 The “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” rule has been finalized. Most importantly, the bemoaned “80-20” provision has gone through as proposed, meaning providers will eventually be forced to direct 80% of reimbursement for home- and community-based services (HCBS) to caregiver wages. ... Organizations like the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and LeadingAge immediately condemned the rule being finalized on Monday. ...

Telehealth Accreditation Program The Joint Commission; 4/20/24The Joint Commission has developed a new Telehealth accreditation program (TEL) that will be effective July 1, 2024. This program is intended for health care organizations that exclusively provide care, treatment, and services via telehealth and for health care organizations that provide services via telehealth to another organization’s patients.